Displayed inside a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink ensemble worn by the pop star. The concert in front of a massive crowd of spectators was seen as a triumph.
You might not enjoy his music. You might think he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some tracks are fantastic while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is not a single method to create art or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.
The climate, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the foundation on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport dismantled and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Leaving a thick layer on the wicket, causing 36 wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, a long history and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling due to the investment committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Certain variables are accepted more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were unable from showcasing their talents.
The format is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and adapting effectively. The best individual scores were made by world-class players. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the fans who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the ground, thousands waved their flags and chanted, producing a carnival vibe in a heartland of national pride.
There was belief as the attack surged, impetus when players responded, and unconditional love when the win was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. In the past, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are polar opposites of the scale – neither ideal, yet value can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the death of the format at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players responded for him, restoring the smile to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with vital performances. These are small positives, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to build on.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the team gathered on the field to start their own festivities.
Savour the moment, boys. You've earned this one.
